The Center for Vietnam Studies, the Bamboo Vietnamese language school and the Vietnamese Language Department at Osaka University on March 29 launched a painting contest themed "Vietnam in Me" for Vietnamese children in Japan and unveiled a Vietnamese bookcase.

For the community of nearly 6 million Vietnamese people living, studying, and working abroad, the Vietnamese language is a source of pride, a bridge connecting them with their homeland, and a factor preserving traditional culture and confirming their position and confidence in international integration, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son.

A ceremony to launch a TV programme “Chao Tieng Viet” (Hello Vietnamese language) and a contest to seek ambassadors of Vietnamese language aboard was held in Hanoi on March 31 by the Vietnam Education Publishing House, Foreign Affairs Ministry’s State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs and Vietnam Television (VTV).